When operating an automobile, a driver may be focused on the automobile's surroundings. For example, the driver may focus on the road, signs, signals, other cars, people near or on the road, and the like. The driver may also have access to a great deal of information that may be of interest to the driver while operating the automobile.
Some of the information may be provided by the automobile itself and may deal with the state of the automobile. For example, the automobile may provide information to a driver about the automobile's speed, heading, fuel level, system warnings, maintenance reminders, and the like.
The automobile may also provide information concerning entertainment media being delivered within the automobile. For example, the automobile may provide information about entertainment media provided by a radio station, compact disk (CD), digital versatile disk (DVD), or the like. Information about the media may include a performer name, song or program name, volume level, and/or other information about the particular media. Many automobiles may also provide navigation information, including turn-by-turn directions, weather and traffic notices, and the like.
In addition to information from the automobile, the driver may have access to information from other devices as well. In particular, a driver may have a mobile phone, smartphone, laptop computer and/or tablet computer in the automobile. In addition to providing information stored on the device, these mobile devices may allow the driver to make or receive phone calls, send or receive short message service (SMS) or multimedia messaging service (MMS) messages. These mobile devices may further communicate with radio-access networks, including cellular networks and/or wireless local area networks (WLANs) while located in the automobile. The mobile device may also provide the driver with access to vast amounts of information via the internet, including information such as news headlines, sports scores, social media, games, instant messaging, email, and the like. The mobile device may also provide navigation information and/or deliver entertainment media.
In addition to providing the driver with information, the automobile and/or mobile devices may require input from the driver to perform some actions. For example, a stereo system may require the driver to interact with an interface to change the volume, change the radio station, or switch between CDs. Similarly, a mobile phone may require the driver to interact with a touchscreen or keypad to view or respond to a text message, receive a phone call, and/or access an application.
These applications and services require the driver's attention, some more than others. For example, changing the volume on a radio can be done without taking one's eyes off the road, but selecting a contact to call from a mobile phone address book requires looking at the phone, not the road. This sort of “distracted driving” has caused accidents and many states now have laws forbidding interacting with a mobile phones while driving. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHSTA) has provided guidelines to automakers to make sure that new cars discourage distracted driving. For example, the NHSTA guidelines attempt to discourage distracted driving by directing that new cars disable some feature of the navigation system such as blocking access to the address input screen in a navigation system while the car is in motion.
The focus of the NHSTA guidelines is to encourage drivers to keep their eyes on the road rather than being distracted with the interface of a mobile device or the car infotainment system. The NHSTA guidelines are often in direct conflict with drivers' desired behavior.
The subject matter claimed herein is not limited to embodiments that solve any disadvantages or that operate only in environments such as those described above. Rather, this background is only provided to illustrate one example technology area where some embodiments described herein may be practiced.